Mission La Purisima Concepcion

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Other missions bearing the name La Purísima Concepción include Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña in San Antonio, Texas, Misión La Purísima Concepción de Cadegomó in Baja California Sur, and Misión La Purísima Concepción de Caborca, in Caborca, Sonora.

Image:La Purisima Concepcion circa 1900 Keystone-Mast.jpg Mission La Purísima Concepción de Maria Santísima (typically referred to as Mission La Purísima Concepción for short) was founded on December 8, 1787 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén), the eleventh in the California mission chain and the second mission site to bear the name. It was named for "The Immaculate Immaculate Conception of Most Holy Mary" and is located east of the City of Lompoc, California, between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. It was situated within the Second Military District. The City of Lompoc was so small that the Church made an exception to the rule that no mission is to be established within seven miles from any city (the original site of La Purísima was only one mile from the tiny town). It was moved four miles east of the town in 1812 after the Santa Barbara Earthquake severely damaged the Mission buildings on December 21st of that year.

Mission La Purísima Concepción was originally established in what today is the town of Winterhaven in October, 1780 by Father Francisco Garcés. The Mission/pueblo site was inadequately supported, and Spanish colonists seized the best lands, destroyed the Indians' crops, and generally igonored the rights of the local natives. In retaliation the Quechan (Yuma) Indians and their allies attacked and destroyed the installation on between July 17 and July 19, 1781.

In 1824, there was a major revolt at the Mission. Spain had stopped funding the missions after Mexico won its independence. There were many soldiers at the Mission, who were no longer being paid and took out their frustrations on the local Chumash Indians. A soldier had beat an Indian at Mission Santa Inés and a revolt spread to Mission La Purísima Concepción. The Indians took over the mission for one month until more soldiers arrived from Monterey. After a three hour battle the Indians lost. Many of the Indians left the Mission after that battle. The Indians who did not fight and were hiding in the mountains during the revolt came back to the Mission, but there were not enough of them to keep the mission going as it once had.

Following secularization in 1843 the grounds were abandoned. In 1934 only nine of the buildings remained. The Civilian Conservation Corps pledged to restore the Mission if enough land could given back to make the Mission into a historical monument. The Church and the Union Oil Company donated enough land for the restoration. The buildings were all reinforced and reconstructed (including many small structures and the original water system) to such an extent that La Purísima is considered to be the only example in California of a "complete" mission complex. The Dedication Day for the newly-restored Mission La Purísima Concepción was December 7, 1941, ironically the same day the United States entered World War II.

The grounds are part of a historic park and are well cared for by the State of California Department of Parks. The Mission is no longer used as a parish church. It has a visitors center and a museum on the grounds in the old infirmary buildings.

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